Ashbourne lose their way against Clondalkin

Before this Leinster League Div 2 fixture was due to kick-off on Saturday night an Ashbourne RFC official expressed the hope that the game would go ahead. His team was focused he felt, they were ready for what was a crucial game against opponents with promotion ambitions. He was optimistic the team was ready. A thick blanket of fog swirled around the ground and the referee must have thought long and hard before giving the green light for the action to take place. He did and the teams took the field although even Ashbourne's high-wattage floodlights unable to penetrate the gloom in certain parts of the pitch. At the final whistle the Ashbourne official was surely bitterly disappointed with the way the his team performed. They found themselves on the backfoot for long spells and they can have few complaints after they lost out to one of the relatively new names on the club rugby scene. The fact that the home team didn't breakthrough for their only try until the time was almost up says a lot about how they played. That score came after a sustained spell of pressure, with the ball moved through six or seven phases before captain John Gavin found a gap in the Clondalkin defence and powered through to score. Gavin Kennedy converted. Those scores at least helped to earn Ashbourne a bonus point that keeps them in the hunt for promotion although with more games played than their rivals around them they know they can't afford too many slip-ups like this. There are occasions when the dice just doesn't roll kindly for teams and Ashbourne got an early indication that this might not be their evening when Kennedy missed a relatively easy penalty. He went on to give his characteristically busy, all-action display although on this occasion he couldn't inspire his team to victory. The visitors led 9-3 at the interval and it was hardly surprising that they scored from three penalties, all from their capable out-half Chris Jebb. Time and again indiscipline cost Ashbourne dear. Infringements, deliberate or not, handed their opponents the initiative and at one stage a penalty originally awarded to the home side was reversed for dissent. The penalty count at the interval was 11 for the Dublin side and six for Ashbourne and that gave a good indication of the difficulties the home side had when it came to discipline. Ashbourne also had two players – Alan Wall and Paul Morris – sinbinned at different stages in the second-half. This didn't do their cause much good especially as they were chasing the game. Part of the problem for Ashbourne was that as the game wore on they experienced more and more difficulties in the scrum and the edge Clondalkin got in that department helped them get their only try on the 70th minute mark. The Dublin side had opted for a few scrums close to the home tryline before sweeping the ball out wide and their full-back Gerry Donnelly ran in beside one of the posts with relative ease. Jebb converted to put Clondalkin 16-3 up and seemingly in total control. It was only then that Ashbourne really started to play. Up to then they had struggled to find any real fluency with a series of self-inflicted infringements which included knock-ons and wayward passes. Kennedy did show some good composure to slot over his team's only first-half score from a penalty attempt. But in the closing stages of the game and seemingly on the ropes, Ashbourne started to string together some enterprising passage of plays. The home team had competed well in the line-outs and at the breakdown all evening and their work in those sectors helped them get a foothold in the game late on. Particularly impressive for them was James Rooney who was the main receiver in the line-outs and he did a lot of good work around the fringes. Saulea Laurentiu was another who showed up well on the wing. He looked to be on his game although he got precious few opportunities to show what he could do as the home side struggled to get quick ball and use it to full advantage. It was one of those relatively rare occasions they did get quick ball from a ruck, in front of the Clondalkin posts, that eventually led to the try. By then it was too little, too late although the bonus point must have softened the pain of defeat for that Ashbourne official who was so optimistic at the start that victory could be achieved. Ashbourne – D Colreavy, R Scanlon, M Rooney, C Coyle, S Laurentiu, P Morris, G Kennedy; A Wall, J Galvin, F Keegan, E Gallagher, SE Kennedy, JP Ennis, J Rooney, I Smith. Subs – D Grimes for Smith, C Roche for E Gallagher, A Gallagher for Grimes. Clondalkin – G Donnelly, D Behan, A Dixon, A Collier, N Nolan, C Jebb, M Molloy; S Dunne, B Doyle, K Kelly, D Fitzpatrick, R Dever, S King, P Nolan, K Cullen. Referee – Jim Kelly.